Although baccalaureate degrees in physical therapy are still available at a few institutions, the entry standard for practice in the field of physical therapy is shifting to the master's (or doctoral) degree. The University of Alabama does not offer a degree in physical therapy, but does provide programs of study appropriate for entry into master's and DPT programs. Students with such an interest may combine degree programs leading to a variety of majors and minors with entrance requirements for master's programs in physical therapy.

An appropriate example is the master's degree program at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). In the UAB program, applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in fields other than physical therapy must have completed an undergraduate program that includes (a) 16 semester hours of biology (BSC 114:115, BSC 116:117, BSC 215, and BSC 216); (b) 8 semester hours of inorganic chemistry (CH 101 and CH 102); (c) 6 semester hours of English composition (EN 101 and EN 102); (d) 3 semester hours of pre-calculus (MATH 113); (e) 3 semester hours of statistics (PY 211); (f) 9 semester hours of psychology; and (g) 8 semester hours of physics (PH 101, PH 102). Additional recommended courses are zoology (BSC 400, BSC 424), biochemistry (CH 461), and organic chemistry (CH 231, CH 232, CH 237). Applicants must also have an overall grade point average of 3.0, a 3.0 average for English composition and the biological and physical sciences, and a Graduate Record Examination score of 1100 (minimum 550 in both sections).